Weather service issues flood advisories after heavy rain

Thomas Boyd/The OregonianVisitors to Multnomah Falls run for cover about 8 p.m. today as hail the size of garbanzo beans blasts the area.

The National Weather Service called off its latest two thunderstorm warnings about 9:15 tonight after storms in Washington and Clark counties weakened, but issued flood advisories for late tonight and early Sunday. Thunderstorms remain in the forecast for Sunday.

Downpours continued in the metro area even after the strongest storms moved on, prompting the weather service to issue urban and small stream flood advisories for the coast range, metro area and Cascades.

The Clark County Sheriff's Office fielded about two dozen calls about cars stalled in flooding at intersections in east Vancouver. That flooding had largely cleared by 10:30 p.m., the sheriff's office reports.

PacifiCorp fielded about 115 calls late this evening reporting scattered outages in North Portland and Northeast Portland.

Storms earlier tonight struck the outskirts of the metro area, especially east Multnomah County and Skamania County in Washington, with spectacular results. Parts of the Columbia River Gorge received 2 to 3 inches of hail, the weather service said.

Dinner staff at the Multnomah Falls Lodge restaurant received a call from weather service officials warning of the impending storm just before it hit about 7:30 p.m., raining down hail while thunder roared above.

"It was just amazing, especially once the wind hit and the hail came at full force," said Anna Palmquist, who is waiting tables this evening at the lodge. "I would say the hail was the size of marbles."

Hail piled up like snow, she said, and hikers just in from the trail huddled in stairwells. Though the storm did no apparent damage, Palmquist said, it was an enormous disruption.

"It was just really crazy," she said. "Our tent over our grill fell over, which was not good for the chef."

Earlier warnings, which applied to parts of Washington and Clackamas counties, expired at 7:30 p.m. There have been no reports of damage or injuries so far, and electric utilities reported no major outages.